Constantly Stamping

GDP310: Global Design Project Sketch Challenge

It's time for our sketch challenge this week at Global Design Project.

I don't think it is a surprise to anyone that I love sunflowers, so Autumn is the perfect time for me to pull out the Celebrate Sunflowers stamp set (#152517) and coordinating Sunflowers Dies (#152704). Last week I went with the larger sunflower from the set and this week I used the smaller one.

When I think of sunflowers I automatically think of gingham. In fact, if you search on Pinterest for sunflowers and gingham, you will see that black & white or blue & white gingham are very common. The blue looks great with the gold sunflowers because blue and gold are complementary colors. I was inspired by the traditional colors, but decided to go with a more updated look by ditching the gingham and using the Misty Moonlight paper from the Harvest Meadow DSP collection (#156494).

As for coloring these beautiful flowers, I used a slightly different approach. I started by stamping the image on Whisper White cardstock with Stazon Jet Black Ink, but instead of using alcohol markers I started with a layer of Stampin' Write Many Marvelous Markers (#147154) and then added shading with Watercolor Pencils (#141709/#149014). I like this method because it gives me a lot of control, especially on smaller images. Here are the color combos I used:

• Flower Petals (Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Marker; Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red Watercolor Pencils)
• Flower Centers (Crumb Cake Stampin' Write Marker; Early Espresso and Basic Black Watercolor Pencils)
• Leaves (Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker; Granny Apple Green, Old Olive, and Garden Green Watercolor Pencils).    

Some sketches are more challenging that others...I guess that is why they are considered challenges. I really struggled with getting this one to fall into place. I ended up changing the placement of the flowers and adding extra leaves to before I felt like I had the balance just right.

I also added a 1.25" strip of woodgrain paper from the In Good Taste DSP (#152494). It helps to ground the sunflowers and remain more true to the original sketch. I stamped the greeting on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and die cut it with the Tasteful Labels Dies (#152886). And do I even need to mention the Linen Thread and Pearl Basic Jewels?

We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.

GDP309: Global Design Project Color Challenge

We have a deceptively difficult color challenge this week at Global Design Project. At least I found it to be much more difficult than expected.

I really did think this was going to be an easy challenge, but every time I thought I had it figured out, I discovered  that I was adding in an additional color. It sounds so silly, but it's true. Finally, I decided to go with a bit of a modern approach and keep things simple by using Pattern Party DSP (#155426), the Celebrate Sunflowers stamp set (#152517), and the coordinating Sunflowers Dies (#152704). 

I  know that this isn't my typical style, but I really do like the vivid Granny Apple Green paper with the black and white stripes and the sunflower in this stamp set is so stunning, that it doesn't even need color.

The best thing is that this card would be really easy to duplicate. The most difficult thing (if you can call it that) is the greeting stamped and heat embossed in white on Basic Black cardstock. I also mixed a little white craft ink with water and made splatters on the background.

For the finishing touch, I colored some Basic Pearls with a Dark Basic Black Stampin' Blends marker. I made sure they were completely dry before adding them to the background.

Now it's your turn to give this color challenge a try. Check out what the other talented designers/players have created at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog and then join in the fun.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.

Have a blessed day!

Global Design Project: GDP307 Theme Challenge

It's time for our theme challenge at Global Design Project. This one is fairly simple...make a Thank You card.

You probably know that right now through the end of September, is Sale-a-Bration time at Stampin' Up! We don't typically have SAB in the fall, so this is an extra special treat. One of the free items you can earn with a $100 (U.S.D.) purchase is this beautiful die set called Summer Shadows (#156618). It is designed to coordinate with the Shaded Summer stamp set (#155783) from the 2021-22 Annual Catalog (pg. 75). 

I cut the flowers from So Saffron cardstock and then cut the layering piece from Crushed Curry. Most people cut the flower in two steps and leave the petals "open".  I wanted to try something a little different, so to fill in the open spaces of the flowers, so I used the leftover negative outline as a pattern and traced around it onto another piece of Crushed Curry cardstock. Then, I trimmed it out by hand with scissors and placed it behind the flower. You don't even have to be very precise because you really won't even see the edges on the finished card. It is just another way to use these beautiful dies and I think the end result is worth the extra step.

For the leaves I used Old Olive and Granny Apple Green cardstock and switched up the layers for variety. The greeting is from the Biggest Wish stamp set (#155052) and the scalloped frame is cut from Crushed Curry cardstock using the Scalloped Contours Dies (#155560).

We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.

GDP306: Sketch Challenge

It's time for our sketch challenge this week at Global Design Project.

I really love this sketch because it is very basic and therefore, very versatile.  My card is a hodgepodge of several different items. I absolutely adore the Blackberry Beauty Suite, but back when I placed my order, the DSP wasn't available. So I went ahead and purchased the Blackberry Beauty Ephemera Pack (#156469) and plan to order everything else later. So for this card, I improvised and used a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

I started with a top-folding card base of Blackberry Bliss and added a slightly smaller layer of Rich Razzleberry cardstock. To dress it up a little I stamped it first with the small flower cluster from Nature's Harvest (#156495) with Blackberry Bliss ink. I think this set coordinates well with the elements in the ephemera pack. I also used the "Thank You" stamp from the same set and cut it out with the coordinating Harvest Dies (#156504).

I made the gold leaf frame the same way that I did on last week's project and die cut it using the Stitched Rectangle Dies (#151820).

I added a little bit of Linen Thread just to add a little more texture to the card, but decided to stop there because I was afraid that anything else would be too much.

We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.